Friday, November 20, 2020

Book Review: "Pure" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Pure 
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: "Covenant" #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Page Length: 329 pages
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Goodreads

Okay so when I first read Half-Blood over five years ago, I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. I much preferred Jennifer's other books that I'd read up until that point. However, I recently decided to reread it on a whim and absolutely loved it. The first book, to me, is very reminiscent of Percy Jackson and Vampire Academy. That's why it probably shouldn't have surprised me that I liked it more on my reread. 

However, whereas the first book is a bit cliched and similar to other popular books of the time, the sequel takes this story and world in a whole new direction. This book is definitely, to me, where the series has begun to bloom into it's own. 

I absolutely love our main character. I connect so well with her and I think that just goes to show Jennifer's strength in writing her characters as I always connect well with hers. Alex is such a fun character to read from. I love her inner monologue and I like how she's not perfect. She constantly makes mistakes but she also owns up to and learns from them without changing who she is.  

Quite a bit happens in this book in terms of plot movement and character development. Our world and lore expand a bit but I'd say the biggest expansion was in terms of character and relationship developments. Alex definitely grew a lot in this book but her relationships with those around her also shifted quite a bit from the previous book. I'm really excited to see where these go. Also, I'm totally a simp for Seth now. 

I am quite the sucker for angsty paranormal stories. This series, to me, is the epitome of that. It's quite a fast series to read, as well, and the books are pretty bingeable. Right now, that's exactly what I need since the real world is so stressful. It's been really enjoyable falling into these books and getting to follow these characters around. 

I will say that I am so excited to see what happens in the next book. A lot happened in this book, some of which I saw coming and some of which completely blew me away, and I'm both incredibly excited and anxious to see where the story goes in the next book. Right now the odds are stacked against our protagonists so I am a bit worried. However, I have book three sitting right by me ready to go! Overall, I really enjoyed this installment and am adding this to the massive pile of Jennifer L. Armentrout books that I love! 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



Sunday, November 15, 2020

Series Review: "Madison Kate" by Tate James


Series: Madison Kate
Author: Tate James
Genre: Reverse Harem Romance
Reading Order & Individual Ratings: 
  1. Hate - 4 // 5 stars 
  2. Liar - 4 // 5 stars
  3. Fake - 4 // 5 stars
  4. Kate - 3.25 // 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.75 // 5 stars

“Madison Kate Danvers was murdered tonight.”

Those words changed my life, and not for the better.
They were wrong, of course. I wasn’t dead. But I was set up.
After being charged with a string of offences--and made an example of by my political minded father--I’m eventually released back into Shadow Grove with one thing on my mind.
Hate.
Someone is going to pay for derailing my carefully laid out future. Someone is going to catch the full force of my hate. How very convenient that someone just moved into the bedroom down the hall from me.
Archer D’Ath and his boys messed with the wrong chick and they’re about to learn just how cold Madison Kate’s hate can run.

HATE is a full length mature college/new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This is book one of four in the series.

I was really excited to read this series. I had just finished Tate James' other series, Kit Davenport, a few months ago when I discovered this one and then I decided that I wanted to wait for the last book to be released so I could binge them when the time came. I was quite excited this month when I realized the final book came out at the end of October and I knew I had to give it a go.

Overall, this was quite an addicting series. There were definitely moments in the beginning where I was wanting to reach through the book and shake the main character but overall I adored reading this series. I truly feel that if I hadn't had those moments of annoyance at our main character that I could have rated these books five stars. Of course, that didn't last through all of the books nor was it that often, so my reading experience was overall great. 

One thing that I love most about reverse harem books is that they tend to be full of angst and sassy characters. This series was no different. I loved how I could feel the angst and the tension as if I were in the room with all the characters. I loved how I was laughing out loud at certain points. It was truly a fun series despite dark moments and serious plot lines. 

I'd say Madison Kate, our main character, was definitely my favorite. I enjoyed her love interests and side characters but we only got MK's POV so I did feel most connected with her. Even though there were times I wanted to shake her for not sticking to her guns, overall I really enjoyed her and her story. Honestly I also liked how she wasn't a super badass from page one and instead had to work hard to become a badass on the same level as some of the others. 

I also enjoyed all our love interests and side characters. One thing that sometimes happens with reverse harem books is that all the love interests blur into carbon copies of each other with the same character voice and very little differences. I've noticed that my favorite reverse harem books are the ones that don't do this but instead make sure to show the differences between the love interests as well as their close bonds. I liked getting to know each love interest on their own and I liked their dynamic with each other apart from our main character. 

The plot was enjoyable as well. There were two or three major plot points throughout the entire series with a few smaller ones here and there. I really like books that have depth like this because it draws me in and connects me to the characters better. I was fascinated with the storyline for this series and it was definitely the reason why I was so drawn to binging the series. 

I will say that, for some reason, I didn't enjoy the last book as much as the first three. There could be a number of reasons for that ranging from my personal life being stressful to actual book things. I will say that it felt a lot longer than the others and dragged in some places to me. However, we also got to see a lot of plot strings tied up finally and that was quite enjoyable (though I did think some of them were too easy).

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. I thought it was fun, which seems weird to say when there's a lot of murder, gangs, and stuff along those lines but it's true nonetheless. I could definitely see myself revisiting this series in the future and I will definitely be checking out some of Tate James other books. Also, there was a lil plot thread left open to introduce a spin-off series and I'm very intrigued about that one so I may have to check that series out once it releases next year!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



Sunday, November 8, 2020

Book Review: "The Inheritance Games" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: The Inheritance Games
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: "The Inheritance Games" #1
Genre: YA Mystery
Page Length: 384 pages
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Rating: 4 // 5 stars 

*I was sent a free copy of this book by Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own. This review is spoiler-free*

Synopsis

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. 

I first want to give a big shoutout to Wunderkind PR for sending me a copy of this book! I had it on my wishlist and it was one that had intrigued me from the moment I read the synopsis so being sent a copy truly made my month!

I loved this book! I was intrigued from the moment I read the synopsis but I'd also seen some people say that it was good but not amazing. I'm glad that I tried not to let other people's opinions influence my expectations because I came out of this book wholly satisfied. 

Right off the bat I was sucked into this book. The pacing was quick, but not so fast that I was confused. I thought this worked really well because it didn't spend time focusing on places we weren't going to be revisiting or characters who wouldn't matter later on. The pacing is what kept me, to be honest. The story was fun and wonderful and full of mystery, but if it had been slower I might have struggled a little. However, the fact that this book took off right from the start and didn't slow down meant that I finished the majority of it in just one sitting. I was engrossed. I was obsessed. I still am obsessed, if we're being honest.

The story itself was interesting and well-balanced. There was mystery and there was humor. There were serious, heart pounding moments and then there were times I was laughing my head off. It was great. The mystery gripped me and I was actually nervous at times for our main character. As someone who doesn't like mystery thriller books that often (which is strange since I love crime and mystery TV shows), I've found that YA mysteries are more my speed than adult. This was one of those books that I adored the mystery in because I felt like it vibed well with my personal preferences. 

Our main storyline seemingly wrapped up while a few secondary threads set up the second book but, as the characters consistently pointed out in the book, I'm wondering if that's just a trick or a misdirect. I feel like Tobias Hawthorne, the person who engineered the whole mystery, would have a few more tricks up his sleeve. I just have so many questions about how the next book will go and I am eagerly anticipating it.  

In terms of characters, we have a pretty good sized cast. We only have one point of view which is our narrator, Avery, but there are a bunch of characters who play large roles throughout the book such as the Hawthorne brothers. I am definitely intrigued by all of the brothers and I'm interested to learn more about them in the next book and unravel some of their secrets. 

The romance, I think, was the least interesting part of this book. That's not to say it was bad, but I wasn't really invested in the romance plot as much. I felt like we didn't get enough character interactions on page between those characters to see them as more than friends at that point. It's also worth pointing out that this book was not marketed as romance, so this issue I had with the romance isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, I am still interested to see where it goes in the next book.

Overall, I loved this book and it will most likely end up on my list of 2020 favorites. It's such a solid YA mystery with an interesting cast of characters and a main character you can't help but love. I am so incredibly excited to read the next book and highly recommend it to anyone who liked Knives Out or enjoys a good YA mystery! 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



Friday, November 6, 2020

Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Blood & Honey" Collector's Edition Box


The time has finally come! My Blood & Honey special edition box from Fairyloot has finally arrived! Let me just tell you guys...this box was stressful. Buying it initially was so stressful with website stress and then I had to get a new debit card since their site was compromised. Then this box was delayed not once but twice. But, eventually it arrived. I got one of the first boxes to have shipped and it was perfect since I got it delivered right before I left (if it had even been a day later it would have been another month before I could go back and get it). 

I've seen a lot of people complaining around this box ranging from not having their books near enough to relief (fair, but I preorder multiple copies like the mess I am) to not thinking the box was worth it for the money. Personally, I disagree and think that this box was more than worth it for the money and pretty perfect in every way.

In the months since I ordered this box, I sometimes wondered on what the items would be that hadn't already been revealed. I ended up getting everything I had hoped would be an item! I love this entire box and think it was more than worth it for the cost, even with international shipping, and I'm so excited to share it with you guys today! Let's go ahead and dive in!

(Oh, and there will obviously be spoilers for the box)



Up first I want to talk about the book. This edition of Blood & Honey was signed by the author, had glittery sprayed edges (to match the first book), and had artwork on the reverse of the dust jacket. Having read Blood & Honey already, I am obsessed with the scene they chose for the dust jacket and the artwork itself. I'm definitely super in love with it! There was also a short bonus content scene included (on a separate booklet). 

As for the items, we got five main items and a bonus art print as an apology for the box being delayed. There were two items that they had revealed beforehand that I knew were coming but the rest were a complete surprise. Like I mentioned above, I was so excited to see that I loved every single one of the items and will use each of them. 

The first item was a gorgeous and fluffy blanket with the quote, "What you are now is not what you’ve always been, nor is it what you always will be. You are a snake. Shed your skin if it no longer serves you, transform into something different. Something better." This was designed by @noverantale. I haven't yet taken it out of the packaging since I don't have a spot to store it yet, so here's a link to a post with a picture of the design!

The next item was this gorgeous storage tin that has the quote, "Blood is easily given. Tears--the pain that causes them--are not," which was designed by @chattynora. This is absolutely perfect because I have a few Serpent & Dove pins and small trinkets that I need a way to store until I have bookshelves again. I was hoping there would be a mug or a storage tin like this and I was so excited when I saw that this was included!

Up next was a gorgeous, full size wood-wick candle from @bookishburns. It is La Fôret Des Yeux themed and smells like wild patchouli, distressed leather, and fruits. Honestly, I love the smell. It's a perfect balance to where it's not an overpowering scent either. The label is pretty cute and was created by @blanca.designs. I don't think I'll burn it simply because I just don't burn candles but I love having them for pictures and to smell every once in a while. 

Then was a gorgeous enamel two-pin set from @jezhawk. One pin features a dove with the quote, "Love makes fools of us all, darling," and the other has a snake with the quote, "The world needs a whit less hate and a trifle more love." This is absolutely stunning and I'm so excited to add these to my collection. I'm hoping one day to have a small pin banner dedicated to this series and these will definitely look amazing on it! 

The next item was a gilded tarot card deck with character art from @oblivionsdream. These are stunning cards and I can't wait to check out Fairyloot's page to see what character is represented on each card. Some of them are pretty obvious but others aren't as much since I don't really remember what most of the characters look like. These are stunning, though, and I'm so excited to use them in pictures.

The last item was a bonus art print of Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel that was added as a thank you for waiting. This was designed by Katherine Britt. I do like this print and the artwork is pretty but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it in regards to the overall series. Still a nice bonus addition though! I did forget to take a picture of it but you can find an unboxing of one here



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



Wednesday, November 4, 2020

October 2020 Book Haul


Hello everyone! Today I'm here with my book haul for the past month of October! I got a total of nine physical books, which I think is a pretty good number. Some of these I've already read whereas others are on my immediate TBR for this year and I'm really excited about them all! So, without further ado, here are the books I hauled in October!



The first book I picked up was a copy of Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. This is the sequel/companion to Dear Martin which I read over the summer. I am so intrigued to see how this book goes and to educate myself a bit. I actually have gotten a few books by Nic Stone over the past few months and I'm intrigued to read them all. I feel like Dear Martin hit me right in the feels so I very much expect Dear Justyce as well as Nic's other books to do the same! 
The next book I got was a copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare and a plethora of co-authors. This was the last book in the Shadowhunters world that I had to get (until the next one releases, that is!) and I'm quite excited. This is a collection of novellas and short stories set in the world following a bunch of different characters. I'm planning on doing a Shadowhunters read-through all the way from the beginning soon and I'm glad to have finally added this to my collection.

Up next I got my preorder for Lightbringer by Claire Legrand. This is the third and final book in the Empirium Trilogy and I am so excited. This was one of the books in my top five most anticipated for this year and I'm so excited for it to finally be out. The ending of the second book blew me away and destroyed me so I am beyond excited to finally see how this final book plays out. I am also incredibly terrified to see what is going to happen. 

The next book I picked up was the signed Owlcrate edition of Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova. This is one of my favorite books of the year and I was just browsing on Instagram when I saw this gorgeous edition and realized that I didn't have a finished copy yet. I was so lucky and found this on ebay for less than list price! I am so excited to one day have a gorgeous collection of different editions for this series since it really is superb!

Up next I got my preorder of The Brightest Night by Jennifer L. Armentrout which actually came signed! I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of the new covers when they were announced but in person it's actually quite pretty. This is the third book in the Origin series which is the spin-off to the Lux series (one of my favorites). I plan on waiting for the final book to release and then binging them all but I, of course, had to get my hands on this signed first edition! 

The next book was kindly sent to me by Wunderkind PR and that is The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is a book that was pitched to me as Cinderella meets One of Us is Lying and  Knives Out and I, of course, was immediately intrigued. I actually just finished this book late last night and loved it so make sure to stay tuned for my full, non-spoiler review this upcoming weekend where I'll gush about how good this book was! 

Then I finally got my Fairyloot edition of Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin. I was so lucky that my box was one of the first shipped and arrived before I left my mom's house because this box was so amazing! I will also have a full unboxing of this box coming this Friday. This specific edition had sprayed edges, artwork on the back of the dust jacket, and was signed so that it all matched the Serpent & Dove edition from last year that I got. 

The next book I got was actually an advanced reader's copy of Lightbringer by Claire Legrand. I was so lucky to find this in a trade because this was probably my most sought after ARC for this year. I'm so excited that my Empirium Trilogy collection is virtually complete and that I have the ARCs for all of the books. This is one of my favorite trilogy and I knew that this was an ARC I would trade almost anything to get my hands on. I was so lucky that someone was finally trading it after months of searching!

The last book that I got this month was my Barnes & Noble edition of Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the first book in Kerri's new series and you can find my spoiler-free review here. The B&N edition had a different cover and behind the scenes content at the back so I knew that I had to snag a copy before they sold out as I loved this book!



Those are all of the books I got this month! Did you get any exciting books in October? Let me know in the comments down below! 

Thanks for reading!
 
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



Sunday, November 1, 2020

October 2020 Wrap-Up


Hi all! Another month has gone by (how is it already November?!) and I have another monthly wrap-up to do! October was an alright month. It was mostly full of stress, deadlines, and midterms but there were some good moments such as spending time with my family and getting to read some good books. 

I read a total of 15 books in October. However, I'm not entirely happy with my reading month. The numbers were good and I liked everything I read but I didn't stick with my TBR and there were only a couple of books that I loved. I really struggled with reading my TBR and the only way that I felt like reading were reverse harem romances. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because I did enjoy them, but I just wish I'd been more in the mood for my planned TBR.  That being said, I hope November can be a better month for me in terms of sticking to that TBR, but I'm still going to just go with my mood and not force myself to read things that I don't want to. For now, let's go ahead and dive into October!



BOOKS READ
1. 
Title: Kingdom of the Wicked
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars 

2. 
Title: Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-
How is this the fourth time I've read this book? Honestly, to me, this is probably the *best* Throne of Glass book. Don't get me wrong, all the others are also amazing and great but Queen of Shadows gets me every time. There's not a single moment of this book that I don't enjoy. I just...all the feels on my fourth reread. Now I'm torn if I should continue rereading the series or actually read my tbr for this month....

3. 
Title: The Lightning Thief: Graphic Novel
Author: Rick Riordan
Adapted by: Robert Vendetti
Illustrators: José Villarrubia & Attila Futaki
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

4. 
Title: The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel
Author: Rick Riordan
Adapted by: Robert Venditti
Illustrators: Atilla Futaki & Tamás Gáspár
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

5. 
Title: The Titan's Curse: The Graphic Novel
Author: Rick Riordan
Adapted by: Robert Venditti
Illustrators: Atilla Futaki & Greg Guilhaumond
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

6. 
Title: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Adapted by: Robert Vendetti
Illustrators: Orpheus Collar & Antoine Bodé
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

7. 
Title: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Adapted By: Robert Venditti
Illustrators: Orpheus Collar & Antoine Dodé
Rating: 5 //5 stars

8. 
Title: Love is Not Lost
Author: Nikki Bolvair
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars
-reread-

9.
Title: Brokenly Found
Author: Nikki Bolvair
Rating:  3.5 // 5 stars
-reread-

10.
Title: Gaining Ground
Author: Nikki Bolvair
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars
-reread-

11.
Title: Silent Secrets
Author: Nikki Bolvair
Rating: 3 // 5 stars
-reread-

12.
Title: Game On
Author: E.M. Moore
Rating: 2.75 // 5 stars

13. 
Title: Foul Line
Author: E.M. Moore
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

14. 
Title: At the Buzzer
Author: E.M. Moore
Rating: 2.75 // 5 stars

15. 
Title: Shared by Her Bodyguards
Author: Cassie Cole
Rating: 3 // 5 stars



BLOG POSTS



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Use LAUREN10 for a discount on beautiful bookish and custom bookmarks from Total Bookish Eclipse!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link